This past week, I had the honor of entering into a phone conference with the movie G.I. Joe Retaliation director, Jon Chu.
Hearing specific details from the director himself was such an incredibly priceless moment, and I encourage everyone to go out and see the movie.
One journalist asked about the distinctions between the “good guys and bad guys,” because in Chu’s movie those two character molds weren’t as obvious as in previous films.
Chu’s answer: I think that ultimately, though, Joe, G.I. Joe, the name, even – just the Average Joe can be the hero. Is sort of the center of our – of the tone and theme of our movie, that it’s actually not about the laser guns, it’s not about the hovercraft of the spacecraft that you have.
It’s actually about who you are inside. It’s about the soldier inside you, and what you stand up for, and who you stand up for, and how you stand up for it.
I, like many, grew up with G.I. Joe, and always had him pegged as the superhero who can conquer it all because he was a big strong man. It’s very comforting to know that Chu was able to manipulate Joe to be the hero as well as the average “Joe.”
When it was my turn to ask Chu a question, I asked the question that all us girls are dreaming about… “What is it like to work with Channing Tatum?”
Chu: It was either going to be Channing, The Rock, or Justin Bieber, one of those three. But Channing, Channing is the nicest, coolest dude you could ever meet. Literally, every girl fell in love with him on our set. He opens doors for all of them, knows their name – knows the whole crew’s name before anyone else does – even other people who’ve been on the set for weeks. He’s an amazing gentleman, he’s hilarious, and he’s just cool.
So I – I’ve got the pleasure of working with him – this is my second time, actually. Because he did Step Up 2 with me. He just had a little transition with me. So that was really fun, we got to know each other then. He’s super cool. And his acting and everything – his craft is getting better every time I see him. So it’s been really fun to watch him go through that journey. You will not be disappointed when you meet him.
Another journalist asked Chu for some advice for some aspiring actors and directors.
Chu: Well, I guess I have a couple things. One, I would say you’ve got to work hard. You’ve got to study your craft, even when you’re not working – especially when you’re not working, even when you are working. Studying your craft, studying the history of your craft – doing it over and over again is absolutely necessary. Because you have to be prepared for the moment when you get that opportunity. The opportunity will come and go so quickly, you better be ready for it
And two, I think we live in such an awesome, amazing time with technology that you can get yourself out there. You don’t have to wait for anyone.
Because the last thing I would say – the best piece of advice I ever got was – I was asking Steven Spielberg, who actually saw my short film, and got me into the business, he literally – I asked him, I said, “Well, how do I know when I’m a director? When do I get the title ‘Director’? When will people see me as that?” And he said, “Jon, no one’s ever going to give you that title.
In response to the question regarding the biggest challenge Chu faced during the making of the movie, his answer was: The sheer enormity of the production. Sometimes you have 700 people on set. And it’s hard when you are used to smaller movies – you’re used to doing everything. You’re used to controlling everything. You’re used to overseeing everything. There’s a certain point where you literally, physically can’t see everything. You can’t see every button on every costume. You can’t see every explosion; you can barely keep up with understanding how the explosions are working to know exactly what’s there.
The movie was released on March 28, and if you haven’t experienced G.I. Joe in action, I encourage you all to do so!